Getting settled!

Hi Crafters,

I apologize for the lack of posts over the past month!  We have moved into our new home and are settling in.  I hope to get my mojo back and start blogging again regularly.

My craft loft has finally taken shape! My friend has told me I need a fancier name for this space, let me know your ideas. Here's a snap shot from phase one of the cabinet installation. I snapped this picture a few weeks ago.

We still need to install counter tops on the corner cabinets but things are coming along.  I didn't let the lack of furniture get in the way of crafting!  I set up some boxes to put the cricut on and got a few time pressing projects finished up.

My husband installed the cabinets last week.  We will likely do a color wash to let the grain show through.  The cabinets are from Lowes.

I nabbed the wire paper rack for $5.00 from a local Joann's store that was closing to open a super store a few store fronts away.  My older sister gave me the piece next to it, it had been in storage while we built.  I was glad to have it back and load it up!

Here's one of the first projects I made in the new house...

I made this for a co-worker who just celebrated the birth of his daughter.  The font is Lyrical Letters, the elephant is from New Arrival, and the palm tree is from Life's a Beach.  I used copic markers to accent the elephant.  This allowed me to use modpodge to seal everything including the marker accent. I used my cuttlebug to accent the trunk and leaves of the palm tree.  The lettering is cut with vinyl and the embellishments are cut out of card stock.

I think I've typed enough to make up for the past few weeks!

Happy Crafting,

Flower Shoppe Wedding Card

Hi Crafters,

We're ALMOST done with the house! I have started packing up my craft supplies to transport them to the house.

I attended the wedding for my college roommate this weekend. She looked beautiful and everything came together without a hitch.  She is also a crafter but doesn't have a cricut so for a portion of her gift I cut out embellishments for her to use in her wedding scrapbook.

I made her this card using the Flower Shoppe cartridge.  I cut several center scallop cuts in 4 different sizes.  I paired the 2 largest together and the 2 smallest together. I started with the smaller of the 2 and quilled the center.  I then opened the petals and curled them to my liking before adding the second layer. I used hot glue to secure the petals and the flowers to the card.

The Best Wishes sentiment is from Martha Stewart elegant cake cartridge. I embossed the accent pieces with my cuttlebug using the swiss dots and textile folders.  I then stamped the double hearts with lavender studio g ink.  I was able to write a note between the front panel with "Best Wishes" and the stamped hearts.

Happy Crafting,

Custom Bench Cushion

Hi crafters,

This past week has been rather warm!  We had a bad storm roll through last Friday and we didn't have power until Thursday evening.  I must admit I am spoiled and had a generator running the fridge and ceiling fan as well as a gas hot water heater so it was more like camping.  I'm so grateful for all the extra help our power company had from all over North America to help get power back as quickly as we did.

I found this tutorial from the CSI Project and the directions where so clear that I decided that I could make one for our bay window.

The bench is counter height seating for the table.  It is about 10 feet long and 21 inches wide.

My supplies all came from Joann's

3 inch foam 2x10 feet (came from joanns.com) $45.00 shipped

Indoor/outdoor canvas $35.00 (3.5 yards)

Piping 7.5 yards $20.00

Upholstery thread $5.00

Topstitch needles $5.00

Velcro 18 inches (I can't remember the price)

At one point when I was gathering my supplies I decided to research if it was actually going to be cheaper to make this rather than having someone make it for me.  I found an online company that does custom cushions and after playing around with that I determined it would cost around $300.00 to get the cushion I wanted.  I did end up saving some money.

My husband used an electric carving knife to cut the foam down for me.  He tried a razor blade first but the foam was too dense.

The project took me about 2 days to complete.  When we didn't have power I cut out all the fabric and started pinning to get things ready for the sewing machine.  I suppose part of this is my novice sewing skills but it always surprises me how long it takes to cut things out!  It could be that cutting has NEVER been my favorite (I think it's because of my left-handedness).  I suspected it would take some time to get all these pieces cut and I was right.  It was probably good that I didn't have access to a sewing machine so that I didn't try to rush through the cutting process.

I did of course make some modifications to suit my needs.  I did not use any batting around the cushion (which I think probably saved my tail I just barely had enough fabric). I also did not do piping around the bottom which saved me $20.00.  When it came time to attach the pieces together I pinned it all then I traced where the foam was with a marker so I had a good idea where the seam needed to be since I did not have the piping to guide me.

So here are my final thoughts and comments,

It was a relatively easy project.  The zipper foot was a critical piece when working with the piping.

I ended up using the upholstery thread on the top and a regular weight cotton/poly blend in the bobbin.  My machine did not do well with the heavier thread in the bobbin. The velcro did not do well with the upholstery thread at all! I switched to regular thread for those pieces.  My cushion was also much longer than the tutorial so I used pins to put the fabric onto the cushion that helped keep everything in place when I was pinning to make sure everything fit correctly.

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Crafting,

Pillows for the Kitchen

Hi Crafters,

I've been using my sewing machine to make some pillows to put on the bench that goes with the kitchen table.

The wood grain fabric and the twill both came from Joann's.  The duck fabric (far left) is from a local overstock store.

I used some of the decorative stitches that my Husqvarna Viking Emerald 183 offers to embellish this pillow.

This pillow was created with freezer paper and the Teresa Collin's Sophisticated cartridge. I have just about gotten to the point that I am fairly comfortable with my sewing machine.  It's nice to be able to just use it and not fret about what could go wrong.

Happy Crafting,

House Build 6/21

Hi Crafters,

Sorry for the lack of posts recently!  We are in the final stages of the build.  We'll hopefully be finishing up and I will resume my regular schedule crafting!

We went with a semi-local family owned cabinet shop.  They custom made the cabinets out of hickory. The backsplash is Cabin Red by Valspar.  The pendants are from Home Depot.  The counter top is a solid surface.

The main mantel has been installed.  The wood came from an old house my husband's family lived in.  They believe it is Chesnut Oak wood which is no longer found in the area.

This is the backside of the fire place.  The lower part will be the pantry and the glassed in shelves will hold my china.

Thanks for stopping by,

House Update 5/28

Hi Crafters,

This post is not really craft related (unless you count looking at my soon to be craft loft).  My husband did lay most of the rock himself so I suppose you could call that crafty.

The wall color is Mousse Moose and Cabin Red (to the right of the sliding glass door) by Valspar.  The wood posts also went in this week as well.  They started laying the hardwood floor today and it's looking great.  Things are moving along! We should be in in a few weeks.

How to make a Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Sash

Hi Crafters,

I made a similar sash a few months ago for a friend.  I thought for this round I would make a picture tutorial.

I gathered up the supplies.  I used freezer paper for the stencil and a wide satin ribbon.  I used tulip soft fabric paint for the letters.

Using a die cutter or an exacto blade (tracing over a computer print out) cut out your letters. If using a die cutter I would suggest putting the freezer paper shiny side up and reversing the letters.  The capital letters are from Martha Stewart Elegant Cake cart and the lower case letters are from Opposites Attract.  The settings I use on the cricut are typically 3 speed, 3 pressure,and 3 depth.

Remove the letters from the mat but be sure to leave the insides of the letters.  I find leaving the centers on the mat until I am ready to place each one helps me remember where they go. Position the negative of the image over the ribbon.  Iron that on a acrylic setting on the iron.  Carefully put the centers of the letters in the correct spot and iron those in place.

Using a foam brush dab the paint (DO NOT USE A "painting" motion or it will bleed).  Go back over any thin spots.  Freezer paper doesn't stick to the satin ribbon very well so I find you can really only get 1 good coat.  I did have a little bleeding on this one and wonder if I would have used the not as shiny side if that would have helped.  Let the paint dry then remove the freezer paper.

 I used the Jolee's heatafix tool to add some gems to the letters.

You have a few options for finishing the ends.  If you are not a sewer melt the ends with a match so it won't fray then tie together or tie with tulle.  I sewed the ends together on this one and added some tulle to make it adjustable.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Crafting,